What You Need to Know About Home Repiping

Staying on top of general maintenance and repair when you own a home can seem like a full-time job. Owning a home is a great investment but if you do not take care of it and complete any necessary repairs when they arise, it can diminish the value of your home and ultimately cause a lot of very costly and frustrating problems. Plumbing repairs are a common occurrence when you own a home but a less common occurrence is needing to completely repipe your home.

When it comes to home repiping, most homeowners probably don’t even know what telltale signs to watch out for. The first consideration should be the age of your home and plumbing. If your home was built before 1986, lead pipes may have been used which can contaminate drinking water and be hazardous (though not all construction used lead so you would need to consult a plumber to determine. If your home was built before 1970 and has the original plumbing, you most likely need to replace your pipes because the materials used may be hazardous and the pipes have most likely begun to corrode or become damaged. Other common signs your home needs to be repiped include exposed pipes, obvious signs of corrosion or damage, water discoloration, frequent leaks, noise coming from your plumbing, problems with water pressure, and odd water taste or smell.

If your home needs to be repiped, you will need to have a professional licensed plumber provide an estimate and plan for your home repipe. You will likely need to move out of your home while the work is being completed because the water service will be shut off during a repiping. Additionally, there tends to be quite a bit of demolition and home repair that needs to take place with home repiping because pipes are often concealed in walls, flooring, ceilings, and more. Typically, a home repiping takes anywhere from 2-7 days but may be longer depending on the amount of demolition needed, the size of the home, and other factors.